Coin-controlled vending-machine



1. N. CHILSON & L. B. PUGH.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATlON FILED AUG.I7, 1915.

l 1 93,235 Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

witnesses mg r . Qttnrum s I. N. CHILSON & L. B. PUGH.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.17. 1915-.

1 1 93,235 Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

I. N. CHILSON & L. B. PUGH.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHLNE.

APPLICATION ElLED AUG.17, 19-45.

1 1 93,235 I Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

' 3, SHE ETSSHEET 3- v STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AMES N. CHILS ON AND LOWTHER BROWN'TUGH, OF FAIRMON '1, WEST VIRGINIA.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. 1

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Application filed August 17, 1915. Serial N 0. 45,952.

apparatus, and more especially to fraud reventives; and the object ofthe same is to produce an apparatus of this character which cannot beactuated by the use of a washer, although the latter be of the samedimensions and weight as the coin. This object is carried out by themechanism hereinafter described and claimed, and as shown in thedrawings wherem:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of this vend-' ing machine complete. Fig.2 is a vertical section of the check controlled apparatus, taken on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1 and slightly enlarged. Figs. 3 and 4 are plan viewsof the top plate and check carrier respectively; Fig. 5 is an enlargedperspective of a portion of the underside of the carrier, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspectiveof a portion of the upper side of thebed plate. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6. Fig.8 is an enlarged perspective detail of the device for holdingv the globering in place, and Fig. 9 a perspective detail of the means'forpreventing the movement of said ring. Figs. 10 and 11 are diagrams to bereferred to'hereinafter, showing respectively the action of parts when acoin or a washer is inserted and the carrier moved. 1 Fig. 12 is avertical section through the drum and the mechanism for operating it,takenon'line 12- 12 of Fig. 3; Fig. 13 is a bottom plan of said drum;Fig. 14 a side elevation of its cap; and Fig. 15 a perspective detail ofthe lock for such drum.

. Certain sections of this country are flooded with metallic checks,slugs, or tokens (herein called washers) which may have and often dohave some little fvalue but which under Federal requirements "mustfbe"made with. a hole through them; and clever'manufacturers are makingthese washers of the same diameter, thickness, and

weight as nickels (which we will herein refer to as coins) with theobject of permitting their use in coin controlled apparatus which areintended for nickels alone. There has therefore arisen a demand for afraud preventive mechanism whose principle of operation depends on thefact that the check is not perforated. This can be associated with otherdevices for prohibiting the insertion of too large a coin, preventingthe manipulation of the apparatus when too small a coin is-inserted,etc. While it is possible that this device may be applied to checkcontrolled apparatus of a. variety of types and for a variety ofpurposes, we have shown it herein as associated with a machine having aswinging or oscillating check carrier, the same serving also to carry anarticle from a stack within the hopper of the venderto the outlet. Itwill be quite obvious, however, that the check controlled apparatusmight take other forms, and of course it is not necessary that it beassociated with a vending mechanism of the precise character disclosed.The shapes, proportions, and

' materials of parts are matters of no moment,

and many features are briefly referred to herein because they arewell-known in this art.

In Figs. 1 and 2 is showna circular or shell-like base 1 having a bottom2 held in place by a lock 3 so that it may be removed to give access tothe money chamber 4. Within this-base isa chute 5 leading to the outlet6 for the articles being ven'ded, and immediately above the outlet isthe coin inlet slot 7. The top of the chamber 5* constitutes the bedplate 8, and may well be cast as a part of the shell of the base, and

we prefer to form it with a peripheral bead 9 and an annular groove 10inside the same.

The carrier 11 (see Fig. 4) stands next above the bed and has an uprightperipheral rim 12 traveling in said groove '10 and a radial handle-13which projects through a slot 14 best seen in Fig. ,1. This carrier hasa skeleton form of body with spokes 15 and a hub 16, the latter restingon a hub or boss 18 rising from the center of the bed.

The top plate 21' (see Figs. 2 and 3) has an annular rim'22'whichisflanged as at 23 to engage within the bead 9 outside the rim- 12 ofthe carrier, and this plate has a depending hub 26 resting upon the hub16 of the carrier. Its rim also has an upstanding head 29 which may wellbe employed as seen in Figs. 8 and 9. That is to say, a ring fits overthis head and over flange 31 at the lower end of a globen32. The ringhas .a number of L-shaped feet 33 depending from it and adapted to passthrough holes 34 in the plate 21, and thereafter if the ring is turnedslightly on the bead 29 the toes 35 of its feet engage under said plateand the ring and globe cannot be removed. To hold the ring againstretrograde movement it is provided with an ear 36 adapted to come upagainst an ear 37 projecting from the rim 22, and a padlock 38 may bepassed through holes in these ears as seen in Fig. 9. It is to beunderstood that the top plate rests on the bed which forms apart of thebase, and that the only moving member thus far described is the carrierwhich is interposed between said top plate and bed.

Around the front side of the bed plate just inside the coin inlet 7, itis thickened to produce on its upper side an arcuate band or rest 40 inwhose upper face is formed an arcuate groove constituting a track 41. Atone end of the band and groove is a hole through the plate 8constituting the article outlet 42, and at the other end of the track isahole constituting the coin drop 43 through which the coin or checkfalls into the chamber 4. At about the center of the band and adjacentthe track is a hole 44 through the plate, for dropping or ejectingspurious coins, undersized coins, and washers; and opposite this hole 44and on the other side of the track from it the face of the band 40 isprovided with an inclined seat 45 whose forward end merges into theupper face of the band but whose rearward end is shaped-to form anupright wall 46 which stands oblique to a radius of the bed such asindicated by the dotted line in Fig. 6.

Coacting with and overlying the parts just described is the structure onthe bottom of the carrier as seen in Fig. 5. While this carrier is ofskeleton formation as already stated, around its front side it has arather wide band 50, and into the lower face of this band is cut achannel which is deepest at its peripheral end next the coin inlet 7,while its inner end 54 merges into the plane of the lower face of theband 50. The rearward edge of the channel is scalloped as at 58, but itsforward edge is formed into an abrupt upright wall 56 which standsoblique to a radius of the carrier as indicated by the dotted line inFig. 5; and depending from the lower face of the band 50 adjacent thescallop is a lug 51 which travels in the groove or track 41 in the bedband 40. Through the carrier at a point in rear of the channel 1s anopening 52 which constitutes a pocket for the articles being vended, as

described below. We may remark that as the carrier is ,shown inverted inFig. 5 the parts to the right in that view may be said to be rearwardparts, while the parts to the right in Fig. 6 are forward parts.

The upper side of the carrier (see Fig: 4) is formed with a rectangularwall 62 around the pocket 52, and just forward of this wall carriernormally in such position that the shank of its handle 13 stands at therear end of the slot 14, at which time the pocket 52 is directly overthe article outlet 42, and

therefore when pressure on the handle is released and the parts arereturned by the' spring to their normal position, the article within thepocket drops through the outlet 42 and runs down the chute 5 to the mainoutlet 6 within reach of the customer.

The top plate 21 overlies the carrier and is supported by its rim 22,screws or bolts 70 passing down through this plate and into the bed 8,and care being taken to so locate them with respect to the spokes 15that the carrier may have itsdesired movements as will be seen from Fig.4. The top plate carries the hopper described below, and it is providedwith an opening 72 directly underlying the hopper so that the lowermostof a stack of articles within the latter may pass through this openingwhen the carrierv is moved to bring the pocket 52 beneath it. At othertimes the rest 63 stands beneath said lower- 'most article and holds thestack within the hopper in a manner well understood in apparatus of thischaracter. Pivoted at 74 to the underside of the top 21 is apawl 75which is moved on its pivot by a spring 76 to throw its tip intoengagement with the teeth 61 and the position of the pawland the lengthof the rest 63 and its rack of teeth are such that after the carrier hasbeen moved so that the foremost tooth engages the tip of the pawl, theentire rack of teeth must be passed over the pawl before thelatter willdisengage the last tooth and the car- .rier can be returned to itsstarting point. This detail of construction insuresa full movement ofthe carrier from its normal -warrier is returned to its normal positionthis article slides down the chute 5 and is delivered to the operatorwithout fail.

The fraud preventive mechanism is best illustrated inFig. 7. The numeral80 designates a latch whose beveled upper end 81 projects through a hole82 in the band 40 at some distance in rear of the seat 45, while itslower end is ivoted at 83 to a lever 84 which in turn is pivoted at S5near its front end 86 within the base and has its rear end normallyraised by a spring 87. The numeral 90 designates a trip pin which hasits upper end rounded at 91 and projecting through a hole 92 in the band40 forward of the seat, while its lower end is pivoted at 93 to a rocklever 94 which in turn is pivoted at 95 within the base, and its rearend 96 underlies the front end 86 of the lever 84. Therefore anythingwhich depresses the pin 90 rocks the lever 94, which in turn rocks thelever 84 and depresses the latch 80. Formed through the carrier just inrear of the channel 55 is an arcuate slot 88 into which the tip 81 ofthe latch normallyprojects, and this slot is of such length that acertain freedom of movement is permitted to the carrier for a purpose tobe described below. Formed through the carrier yet in rear of the slot88 is a hole 89 into which the tip 81 of the latch may project withoutlost movement, and this hole constitutes a catch.

The operation of the mechanism thus far described is as follows: Withthe parts standing in-their normal position, a coin or 1mperforate checkis inserted in the inlet 7 as seen at a in Fig. 10, and it asses ontothe band 40 and under the top 0 the channel as seen at b. The operatornow grasps the handle 13 and turns the carrier so that its slot 88 movesover the ti of the latch, and the lug 51 traveling in the track 41 movesthe check forward as at 0 until it drops onto the seat 45. Continuedmovement of the carrier moves the check to the dotted position (l inFig. 10 when it slides over the rounded upper end 91 of in 90 and if thecheck has no hole in it, this pin 13 depressed and the latch is tri pedjust in time to permit the rear end 0 the slot 88 to pass over the tipof the latch. Continued turning of the carrier moves the check alongover said tip 91 so that the check retains the pin 90 in depressedcondition and this, through the levers, retains the latch in depressedcondition'so that the catch 89 may move over its tip 81 without engagingit; and the check is moved successively through the positions a and f tothe position 9, where it falls through the drop 43 into the chamber 4.At this time the shank of the handle 13 strikes the left end of the slot14 as seen in Fig. 1 and checks the swing of the carrier just at amoment when its ,pocket 52 is under the article chute which alines withthe openmg 72 in the top plate. One article now drops through saidopening into the pocket and is supported on the band 40; and, when thecarrier is restored to normal position either by moving the handle tothe right or releasing it and permitting the spring ()7 to contract, thepocket moves and slides the article along band 40 until the shank of thehandle strikes the right end of the slot 14, at which time the pocket isdirectly over tho outlet 42 and the article drops through the latter andruns down the chute 5 to the dclivery outlet 6. I

If a perforatctl check or washer is mserted as at u. in Fig. 11, it alsowi slip across the track in front of ,the lug 51, and then when thcarrier is swung forward the lug traveling in the track will carry thewasher with it. On reaching the position I." the edge of this washerengages the tip of the pin no presses it just at a time to depress thelatch 80 and permit the rear end of the slot 88 to pass over its tip 81;but when the washer reaches the position ll, its hole permits the riseof the pin which, through the levers.

permits the rise of the latch. The result, is that said latch nowengages the catch 89 and prevents further forward swing of the carrier:therefore the washer cannot pass through the positions 0 and f and bedropped as at {7 into the chamber 4. Now when the handle is released orturned back to normal position the oblique wall 56 (which it will beunderstood is in front of the washerl forces said washer backward to theposition 0. and at this time its edge engages the rear oblique wall 46of the seat 45 with the result that a shearing action between thesewalls takes place and the washer is moved radiall inward to the )ositionr and drops thron 1 the hole 44 either into the chamber 4 or into thechute in which latter case it is handed back to the would-be operator.If a thin check or coin such as a dime or a penny is inserted in theinlet 7. it is moved forward by the swing of the carrier to position 0'.but the diameter of this coin being insutiicicnt to permit it to reachthe center of pin 91, it will not disengage latch 80. As

the would-be operator releases the handle, iv

the same action takes place as above described with the washer, thelatch prevents a eonmletc forward movement of the carrier, and the thincoin is elected at through the hole 44. Obviously the size of the inletf 7 is such that too large a coin may not be inserted. Thus is provideda fraud prcventivc which is proof against the use of a washer that mayhave the same dimensions and weight as the coin which it is intendedshall be employed with this machine, and is also proof against thesuccessful use of under-sized or over-sized coins. rhcclcs, or washers.Obviously the tip 91 of the pin may be made small enough to court with113;)

41 and under the channel 55 k and dosmaller hole in the washer than thatillustratcd in Fig. 11.

The-hopper referred to above may be a single and substantially uprightchute down which the packages of gum or other material may slide,through the opening 72 in the top plate, and beneath which they will behandled as'has already been explained; but we prefer to provide meansfor permitting the customer to select the'article he prefers topurchase, so that if it be gum as herein described he can choose theflavor desired, and reference is now made to Sheet 3 of the drawings.

The numeral desi notes a drum herein shown as having six si( es and eachof them provided with upright channels constituting hoppers 101, openattheir front so that the edges of the packages of gum will beexmsedandanay be seen through thcfglobe 32. The posts 102 willpreferably there ore have flanges 103 along their sides,'as seen in Fig.13. v -The drum body may be hollow, closed by a top 101 and a bottom 105both pierced with central holes mounted on an upright shaft 106, whichshaft extends down through the hubs of the several members of the checkcontrolled apparatus and carries a bevel gear 107 at its lower endmeshing with another bevel gear 108. The latter is mounted on the innerend of a shaft 109 journaled in suitable bearings within the base 1, andon the front end of this shaft is a knob 110 standing'alongside the mainoutlet 6 as seen. It is obvious that the operator by turning this knobmay bringany hopper 101 over the opening 72, and therefore may selectthe flavor of gum he prefers. In order to aline the hoppers successivelywith said opening 72, we provide a hub 111 which is connected with theshaft 106 by any suitable means such as a key or pin 112, and a spurwheel 113 is made fast to the hub just above the top plate 21, itsscallops 114: correspomling with the number of hoppers 101 in the drum.Pivoted at 115 to the to plate 21 is a lever 110-having a. cam 11; whoseface is rounded so that it may slip over the spurs of the wheel 113 anddrop into the scallops 114, and a spring 118 moves this lever to throwthe cam into active position with yielding force. Thus when the operatorturns the knob, he revolves the spur wheel which, with the drum, willcome to rest only when the cam engages one of the scallops and a certainhopper alincs with the opening 72. a

In order to render the drum removable for cleaning or re air and toprevent lost motion, we provite the upper end of the hub with pins 120,and the bottom 105 of the drum with a plate 121 around its centerpierced with holes 122' adaptedto engage said pins; and above thetop 104a washer as 124 is mounted on the shaft 106 and held removably in placeas by a screw 125. The cap 126 formin the apex of the drum may haveaflange 12% which closes the upper ends of the hoppers, but this capneed not be fastened on the drum body and therefore it may be lifted offto gain access to the screw 125. When the latter is withdrawn from theshaft 100 the entire drum can be lifted oil the shaft. It is notnecessary, however, to remove the drum when the hoppers are to bereplenished with packages of gum or other articles being vended. Allthat is necessary is to open the padlock 38 and remove it from the cars30 and 37, turn the ring to disengage its toes 3:) and lift its feet 33out of the holes 34, then lift off the globe 32 and cap 120, and supplythe packages of gum to the upper ends of the hoppers 101. Doubtless thiswill be done by the druggist or other merchant in whose establishmentthe device is set up, whereas from time to time a representative of theproprietor of the machine will come around, open the lock 3 and take thecoins out of the chamber 4, and give the druggist the percentage thereofagreed on. It is quite obvious that such coins could be nickels or othercoins, and we do not wish to be limited in that respect; but themainpurpose of this invention is carried out if the machine is such that itis i impossible to actuate its mechanism to deliver the goods by the useof perforated checks or washers which are so prevalent in certain artsof the country or by the use of coins w rich are not of the size ofthose for which the machine is intended.

What we claim is:

1. In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a circularhollow base containin a chamber whose top constitutes a fixed bed platehaving an upstanding peripheral bead provided with a coin inlet and aslot in rear of the same, the bed plate having an ejector holeimmediately forward of said inlet and a coin drop forward of the hole, aboss rising from the center of'this plate, a top plate disposed abovesaid bod plate and having a peripheral rim engaging said head, and a hubdepending from the center of this plate; of a movable carrier pivotallymounted between said boss and hub and having a peripheral rim providedwith a notch, a handle on the carrier movable within said slot, thecarrier having a channel in its lower face communicating with its notch,a depending lug at the rear side of said channel for advancing a checkas the'carrier is swung forward, means for preventing its full forwardmovement when a washer is inserted, and means for ejecting said washeron the return movement of the carrier.

2. In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a circularhollow base containing a chamber whose top constitutes a fixed bed platehaving an upstanding peripheral bead provided with a coin inlet and aslot in rear of the same, the bed plate having a groove inside said beadand an ejector hole immediately forward of said inlet and a coin dropforward of the hole, a top plate disposed above said bed plate andhaving a peripheral rim with a flange-em gaging said bead, and means forrigidly connecting said plates; of a movable carrier p1votally mountedbetween said plates and having a peripheral rim traveling in said grooveand provided with a notch, a handle movable within said slot and securedto the. carrier at a point to strike the rear end of the slot when saidnotch registers with the coin inlet, the carrier having a channel in itslower face communicating with its notch, a depending lug at the rearside of said channel for advancing a check as the carrier is swungforward, means for preventing a full forward movement of the carrierwhen a washer is inserted, and means for ejecting said washer onthe'return movement of the carrier.

3. In 'a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a hollow basewhose top constitutes a bed plate having a curved band,

i around its front side provided with an ejector hole, the shell of thebase having a coin inlet just in rear of said hole and the band having"an.- arcuate groove constituting a track, and a top plate overlyingsaid bed plate; of a movable carrier pivotally mounted between theplates and having a channel adapted to aline with said inlet, adepending lug on the carrier at the rear side of said channel movable insaid track for advancing a check as the carrier is swung, means vforpreventing its full forward movement when a washer is inserted, andmeans for dropping said washer through the ejector hole onthereturn'movement of the carrier.

4 In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a circularhollow basecon- 'taining a chamberwhose'top constitutes a fixed bedplate having an upstanding pethe plate and having a channel in its lowerripheral bead provided with 'a' coin inlet at.

the frontof the'base, the bed having a thickened band inside said inletand provided in' its upper face with an arcuate groove constituting atrack, and the band having-an ejector hole just forward of said inletand'a coin drop forward of the hole; of a swinging carrier pivotallymounted over face adapted to aline with said inlet when the carrierstands at normal position, a depending lug' at the rear side of saidchannel moving in said track for advancing a check as the carrier isswung, means for preventing its full forward movement when a P washer isinserted, and upright walls oblique to radial lines and at angles to.each 8 other, one at the rear side of said hole and the other at theforward side of said chan-- nel for forcing the washer into saidejectorhole on the return movement of the carrier. 5. In a checkcontrolled apparatus, the combination with a circular hollow base whosetop constitutes a fixed bed plate hav ing an upstanding peripheral beadprovided with a coin inlet, the bed having a band inside said inletprovided in its upper face with a depressed seat forward of the inletand having an upright wall at its right wall oblique to the radius ofthe carrier and at an angle to said other wall,

means at the rear side of said channel for advancing a check as thecarrier is swung, means for swinging the carrier, and means forpreventing its full forward movement when awasher is inserted.

6. In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a fixed bedplate having along its front edge a bead provided with a coin inlet, anda thickened band inside said bead having a groove parallel with the beadand constituting a track, an ejector hole inside the track just forwardof the inlet and a coin drop forward of the hole, the band also havingbetween its head and track and opposite said hole a seat-in its upperface whose front wall merges into said face and whose 'rear wall isupright and stands oblique to the length of the track; of a carriermovable over said band and having in normal position,

its lower face a channel whose outer end is adapted to aline with saidinlet and whose inner end merges into said face, the front wall of saidchannel being upright and oblique to the length of the track and at anangle to said other wall whereby said walls are adapted to coact with ashearing action on a washer resting on said seat, a lug depending fromthe carrier at the rear side of sald channel and moving in the track foradvancinga check as the carrier is moved, means for, moving the carrier,and means for preventing its full forward movement when a washer isinserted.

7. In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a bed platehaving a band leading from the coin inlet to the coin drop and providedwith a seat within its length and an ejector hole opposite said seat, acarrier overlying said band and provided in its lower face with'achannel, the front wall of the channel and rear wall of the seat stand-I ing at angles to each other for forcing a washer through said ejectorhole on the rearward movement of the carrier, and

means for moving the carrier; of a latch pro ecting through the band inrear of said inlet. yielding means for holding it normally elevated, acatch in the carrier at a point to engage said latch and prevent thefull forward movement of the carrier, a push pin projecting through saidband forward of theseat at a pointto enter the hole in a washer, andconnections between said pin and latch for depressing the latter as theformer is depressed by a check.

8. In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a bed platehaving a band leading from the coin inlet to the coin drop andprovidedwith a seat within its length and an ejector hole opposite saidseat, a carrier overlying said band and provided in its I lower facewith a channel, the front wall oft;

the combination with a hollow base containthe channel and rear wall ofthe seat standing at angles to' each other for forcing a washer throughsaid ejector hole on the rearward movement of the carrier, and means formoving the carrier; of a latch projecting through the band in rearof-said inlet, vielding means for holding it normally elevated, a catchin the carrier at a point: to engage said latch and prevent the fullforward movement of the carrier, a

push pin projecting through said band for ward of the seat at a point toenter the hole in a washer, a pivoted lever having one arm connectedwith said latch, and a second pivoted lever having one arm connectedwith said pin, the other arms ofs'aid levers engagingeach other so thatdepression of the pin b v a check causes the depression of the latch,for the purpose set forth.

9. In a check controlled apparatus, the

combination with a band extending from the coin inlet to the coin dropand provided with a seat within its length and an ejector hole oppositesaid seat, and a carrier overlying and movable along said band andprovided' in its lower face with a channel whose outer end is deep andadapted to pass said for forcing a washer or small coin through saidejector hole on the rearward movement of the carrier; of a latch havinga. beveled upper end projecting through the band in rear of said inlet,the carrier having a slot and forward of it a hole, both adapted toreceive said beveled end, a push pin having a rounded upper endprojecting through said band forward of the seat at a point to enter thehole in a washer, a pivoted lever havmg one 'arm connected w1th saidpin, a second pivoted lever having one arm connected with said latch,the other arms of said levers engaging each other so that depression ofthe pin causes depression of the latch, and a spring normally raisingthe ,latch to project its tip into said slot or hole,

vfor the purpose set forth.

10. In a machine of the class described,

ing a coin chamber whose top constitutes a fixed bed plate having aperipheral bead provided with a check inlet, the bed plate having anejector hole forward of said inlet,

a coin drop forward oft-he hole, and an article out-let rearward of theinlet, said base having a main outletand a chute connecting it with saidarticle outlet, and a. top plate above the bed plate and resting on itsbead and provided with an article opening out of registry with saidarticle outlet; of a carpreventing its full forward movement when awasher is inserted, means for ejecting such washer through said hole ona return of the carrier to its normal position, and an article hoppercommunicating with said opening in the top plate.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

JAMES N. CHILSON. LOWTHER BROWN PUGH. a

